Google reveals Android L and more

Google revealed Android L at its Google I/O conference, this will be the next version of Android and it will deliver the biggest design overhaul since the release of Honeycomb (Android 3.0). Additionally, the search giant also talked about the battery life improvements it made and the new and improved notifications systems. Also quite interesting is that Android apps can now run in windows on Chrome OS.

Still images don't do the subtle animations and transitions any justice, but as you can see, if you've used Google Now you already have a very basic idea of where Google is going with this. The transitions, Z-depth, and dynamic shadows counter the lifelessness and coldness that are inherent to modern 'flat' design, making it feel livelier and warmer. It feels like it sits somewhere between the neon garishness of iOS 7/8 and the starkness of Metro.

While the focus was on the visual redesign, Android L will bring more to the table. One personal favourite of mine is a completely redesigned application switcher, which now resembles the card stack already in use by Chrome for Android, and displays Chrome tabs as individual applications. I've always found the current application switcher in Android to be cumbersome, and often very slow and choppy. This one looks very, very smooth on a Nexus 5.